Trial a gamble for Firestone

Tiremaker hopes jurors assign Ford some blame

August 23, 2001|By From Tribune news Services.

Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. took a big gamble in allowing a lawsuit by a paralyzed and brain-damaged Texas woman to go to trial, but the bet will pay off if jurors find Ford Motor Co. shares much of the blame.

If not, the Nashville tiremaker will find itself in even deeper financial and legal trouble, according to lawyers and industry analysts.

The company's survival may ultimately hinge on what the U.S. district court jury in McAllen, Texas, decides.

The nine-member jury deliberated for its first full day Wednesday, reaching no decision before leaving for the evening. Earlier in the day, the jurors sent a note asking for transcripts of Firestone's testimony, but otherwise did not give any outward hint of the path of their discussions.

The panel had brief deliberations on Tuesday afternoon after hearing closing arguments in the trial that began Aug. 13 in federal court.

Firestone tires, most of them installed on Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicles, have been linked to crashes resulting in at least 203 deaths and 700 serious injuries, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Dr. Joel Rodriguez, a south Texas physician whose lawsuit is among hundreds brought against Bridgestone and Ford Motor Co., is seeking $1 billion in damages for a crash that seriously injured him, his wife, Marisa, brother and 3-year-old son. Marisa, 39, was left wheelchair-bound for life.

Bridgestone/Firestone had settled more than 200 similar lawsuits and not gone to trial in any case before that of Marisa Rodriguez.

"It was an enormous gamble and I'm not sure the conclusion will be what Bridgestone wants to hear," said Art Spinella, an analyst with CNW Marketing Research of Bandon, Ore. "But their backs were against the wall and it was something they had to do."

The company may have wanted to show attorneys for accident victims in some 300 cases still pending that it wasn't going to settle every time.

Asked if the company had assessed the risk of going to trial, Jill Bratina, a Firestone spokeswoman at the trial, said: "We are always interested in trying to reach reasonable settlements. If one can't be reached out of court, we are willing to take a case to trial."